Doki Doki
by ThisIsCharles
Summary: Sayuri has just enrolled in Ouran High School, a prestigious school for the rich and privileged but she already knows her way around the school, and just what will happen when she meets the famed Host Club? Read to find out!
1. Let the Party Begin

**Doki Doki**

_.::You make my heart beat, but I don't want to hear it. Why do I look at you and feel this way, and yet can't help but stay away?::._

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|| Chapter 1 || **The Party Begins**

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"I think you'll have a grand time here at Ouran Miss-"

"Sayuri is fine Sir"

"Alright then Sayuri. Go find your cousins and go get acquainted with the rest of the school. You can start tomorrow, seeming as afternoon classes have already ended."

The young girl stood up and bowed respectfully to the man behind the desk. As she straightened up, her grin shone with mischief.

"Thank you Chairman Suoh. I don't suppose you've told them I'm coming have you?" she toyed innocently with the material of her uniform. It was so extravagant for a school, the material was so rich and the style so unconventional. Then again this was Ouran and as schools went, this was hard to beat extravagance wise.

"What fun would that be?" asked the man in return, his grin mirroring her own.

"It was nice seeing you again Sir," she offered him her hand.

"You too Sayuri dear, you're growing up beautifully. And please, call me Uncle."

"Apparently you are no better than your son. And thank you, Uncle," laughed Sayuri as she turned, her waist length copper hair flowing behind her in thick curls. Naturally she had black hair like the rest of her family, but she had dyed it a few years back. She bent to pick up her large hand-bag and a large black and white striped box not unlike those that people kept expensive clothing in.

"Ah, his reputation precedes him. Should I be glad of that?"

"Depends," she grinned, tilting her head back to look at him.

"Too true, too true."

"Well, I'm off," she turned again and pushed open the door.

"Good luck!"

"Ha, like I need it," she murmured with a smirk as she shut the door behind her. It was about time she visited the Host Club.

Each hallway she passed through was virtually empty. Normal classes had ended, and the Host Club's activities had likely come to an end. Convenient timing in her opinion. It was a bit unfortunate that she had to transfer halfway through the year but that was easy enough to deal with. Her academic ability, though not of genius standard, was still relatively high so she wouldn't have too much trouble getting used to the curriculum here. Besides, she was more interested in the arts. After all, a budding designer and artist needed to learn to right stuff, right?

She was so busy looking around admiring the school that she didn't see the figure in front of her and quickly found herself running into a rather effeminate looking boy with brown hair and eyes. He was carrying large boxes of... Instant coffee?

"Oh... You're that girl, Haruhi wasn't it?"

"Um... Yes?"

"I'm Sayuri."

"That's nice. Um... I have to go," the apparent girl had a slightly disturbed look on her face as if she had just seen a ghost but wasn't quite sure if she should believe it or not.

"Wait! Um... Fujioka... San? That's your last name right? Fujioka? Sorry, I've been living in France for the last 2 years... I've sort of forgotten all my manners. Anyway, Fujioka-san, could you take me to the Third Music room?"

"Mm, I'm Haruhi Fujioka," now she was regarding Sayuri with concern. "Huh, the last girl I met from France was nuts and she hasn't left yet..." she murmured.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing. Yeah I can take you. It's this way."

"Merci, ma petite mademoiselle." Sayuri giggled and gave her a grin. "See, I can speak French."

Again Haruhi gave Sayuri a strange look before setting off down the hall. "That's nice..."

Sayuri cocked her head, confused, the Haruhi she had heard about sounded more fun than this girl. Nonetheless she followed and smiled brightly when she came face to face with the famous door.

"It's in there, I just have to take these to storage," said Haruhi before she went around the corner.

"Let the party begin," she whispered, her brown eyes bright with anticipation and eagerness as she pushed the door open.

"Welcome!"

Sayuri grinned as she curtsied to six boys gathered in the middle of the room, though her expression fell a little when she saw they were in uniform. "Darn, I was hoping the first time I saw you, you'd have costumes on. Oh well..."

"Sayuri? Is that you?"

"Cousin!"

Haruhi walked in behind and stopped to look at Sayuri again, "Cousin?"

"Cousin!" chorused one of the boys.

"Cousin," repeated Sayuri with a smile.

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So whose cousin is she? And just what will Sayuri get up to at Ouran? Only one way to find out! Tune in next time! Don't forget to review~ and no flaming please. I'm up for _constructive_ criticism but no flaming.


	2. The Guest of Honour

**Doki Doki**

_.::You make my heart beat, but I don't want to hear it. Why do I look at you and feel this way, and yet can't help but stay away?::._

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|| Chapter 2 || **The Guest of Honour**

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"Ah... so this is where they get together is it," whispered Sayuri as she looked around. Her eyes stopped on the group of handsome young men gathered around her.

"It seems that a beautiful young maiden has wandered into our den... what luck it is that we should be graced with her presence on this day. And to think, she is a relative of one of our family? What luck indeed," purred the blonde as he lifted her chin gently, staring romantically into her eyes.

"Where are they?" she asked, completely ignoring the blonde as she pushed him away. Immediately his face fell and he drifted off to a dark corner. "Where are my cousins?"

"Here, here! Sai-chan!" replied a pair of identical, bronze haired twins in unison as they made their way over to the girl.

"Hikaru-kun! Kaoru-kun! I've missed you so much!" she cried as they gave her a tight hug from both sides. She'd heard all about the Host Club from the twins, each story with minute detail. She was a little hurt that they hadn't spoken about her to the rest of the club but she wasn't surprised. They'd had their own little world since they had been tiny children after all. With their children being the same age, her mother and aunt had put her and the twins together from infancy. They only got together about once or twice a year but it was enough to develop a good friendship. Sayuri didn't spend much time in Japan anymore. Her parents' relationship was straining and her mother was always required in France. Father was always away on business. They were never together as a family anymore. If she wasn't being dragged around by her mother, she was alone at home or stuck with a random stranger or servant which made her uncomfortable. She was lonely but she wasn't going to let that show. Oh no.

"You're _their_ cousin?" asked Haruhi, almost disbelievingly.

"Didn't I tell you my last name? I am Sayuri Hitachiin, daughter of Yuzuha Hitachiin's sister," replied Sayuri, "But don't worry; I'm nothing like these mischief makers... It's a big worry, I'm the complete opposite. They're so bright and cheerful, I must be so dull compared to them," she sighed and looked forlorn but Haruhi just rolled her eyes.

_Didn't the twins say something similar a little while ago? _Haruhi thought arching an eyebrow as she watched the cousins interact.

"We missed you," said Kaoru as he stood back.

"Yeah! Did you get us anything in France?" asked Hikaru excitedly.

"Like you need more stuff. I sent it to your house," she hugged them back and they all grinned at each other.

"Oh God... It's like the twins have expanded and now it's a set of triplets," whispered Haruhi.

"Don't worry Fujioka-san! I heard so much about you from the twins that I had to give you something! I didn't know where you lived so I brought it with me..." Sayuri knelt by the box that she had put down earlier. She lifted the lid and moved the thin tissue paper aside so that the clothing could be seen. It appeared to be a frilly French Maid outfit.

"I got your measurements from Kaoru-kun! Isn't it lovely? I have a matching one!" she held it up against the clearly unamused Haruhi and beamed. "Funny, we're almost the same size! Only my bust and hips are a bit bigger," she said conversationally. She looked at Haruhi with an almost, _almost_ apologetic smile, "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sure you'll come into your own eventually." She beamed but Haruhi simply glared at her.

"You know Haruhi is a girl?" questioned a bespectacled young man with a shock of black hair.

Tamaki had risen from his reverie at the mention of Haruhi's gender. "How do you know that?"

"I know about all of you from these two," she replied, grasping the twins' shoulders, "You're Suoh Tamaki, also known as Tono or Father. You play the role of Prince Charming. You," she said pointing to the black haired boy, "Are the one and only Ootori Kyoya, known as the Shadow King, Low Blood Pressure Demon Lord or Mother. You are the Cool type."

Pointing to a small blonde boy with caramel brown eyes, "You are Haninozuka Mitsukuni or Hunny. You play the part of Loli-Shota," as she said this, the boy's eyes lit up and he beamed brightly. She smiled in reply.

"You are Morinozuka Takashi, Mori for short. You are the Wild type," she said, pointing to a formidable looking youth who stood protectively beside Hunny, "And you, you are Fujioka Haruhi, the natural rookie, daughter of the club and a girl," concluded the Sayuri with satisfaction as she pointed to Haruhi. Hikaru patted Sayuri on the head with pride. Kaoru simply beamed.

"I thought you were one of those weirdo girls from Lobelia when you said that before..." Haruhi trailed off, a strange look of relief on her features, though she still looked Sayuri with dislike.

"You are too beautiful to be a weirdo, _ma chere_," said Tamaki as he took Sayuri's hand and gently brushed the back with his lips.

This made Sayuri blush. Before she had been so bent on finding Kaoru and Hikaru that she had not noticed how handsome Tamaki actually was.

"Hmmm... You are in class 1-A, the same as Haruhi and you only just enrolled a week ago," said the Shadow King as he tapped on the keyboard of his laptop.

"Mm, but we had issues with moving so I only arrived today," muttered Sayuri as she tried to recover from Tamaki's... greeting, she couldn't think of any other way to put it. Gently she took her hand back and coughed uncomfortably.

"Uh, anyway, there's a reason I'm here."

"What's that?" asked Haruhi.

"Other than seeing us?" asked the twins as they touched their heads to either side of hers.

"Mm. I want to join the club."

"What?" Haruhi, Tamaki and the Twins asked in unison.

"Why not? Haruhi's a girl isn't she?"

"No offence or anything Yu-chan but it'll be harder to pass you off as a guy," said Hikaru as he came over and put a hand on her shoulder. "Unlike Haruhi, the cut of the blazer would only accentuate your features and that hair would not do well under a wig and I will not hear of you cutting it off like Haruhi did."

"Hey!" retorted Haruhi.

Sayuri ignored them both.

"I don't mean as a host. I mean as a designer! I could design costumes and decorate your parties and such... It's what I'm good at! I can also draw art for your propaganda," she directed her last sentence at Kyoya.

"Can we Mother? We'll make this beauty sad if we refuse..." said Tamaki as he walked over to her and smiled, taking her hand. Again for some inexplicable reason, Sayuri felt the heat rush to her cheeks and she realised that she has blushing. She looked away quickly trying to hide her weakness as Tamaki looked back at Kyoya and pouted shamelessly.

"Not until we see proof of her skill as a designer," replied Kyouya, immediately noticing Sayuri's reaction to Tamaki and frowning, wondering if this was an elaborate hoax to get closer to Tamaki.

"Well, here it is!" said Sayuri with a sing-song voice, suddenly recovering from her previous embarrassment as she pulled out a black notebook from her bag. She opened up the book and flipped the pages through each design that she had in there, explaining them as she went.

"Ah... you see this one? I designed this for my friend's birthday," she said, sighing as she looked at a lovely red gown. Another of her favourites was a long, golden dress with a sheer white train.

"Oh and this?" she said as she picked up the discarded maid's outfit and held it back up against Haruhi. "I made this too."

Tamaki darted over to the two girls. He studied the dress in awe, then studied Sayuri, which made her blush again. She shoved his shoulder, "You're such a pervert Senpai," she muttered, averting her gaze.

"What? No! No, no, no! I would never sink to such depravity I-" he looked from the dress to Haruhi and his face was set with determination.

"You must wear this tomorrow."

"No."

"I'll wear it if you wear it," chimed Sayuri, who had recovered her composure and was now beaming.

"It _would_ be good publicity," stated Kyoya, almost grudgingly. She handed the dress to Tamaki, who proceeded to thrust it on Haruhi as Sayuri walked up to the Shadow King. She studied him carefully, not sure what to make of him. "So does this mean I can be part of the club?"

"No, not yet, what about your decorating skills?"

"I've already done some decorating for clients. It wasn't much but they seemed to like it," she said proudly, producing photos of rooms, each with its own unique theme, "If you don't find my skills sufficient and think I'm just here for a free ticket to see all your pretty faces then well... You're sadly mistaken. I already have one," she grinned as she looked at the twins, receiving a thumbs up in return. "If you refuse, I will immediately take my leave and have nothing to do with your club," she continued, finishing with a satisfied feeling. She glanced at Kyoya with a knowing look.

He glared back at her and thought over the decision carefully. If Tamaki was so attractive to her, it could become a bad investment. If she joined though, tons of other girls would wish to join as well... If it got too out of hand they might start saying that they are relatives too...But her work _was_ pretty good... Besides, what about their female manager Renge? Though she probably hadn't made as big an impact as Sayuri's involvement would, the customers hadn't had much of a problem with her.

"C'mon Kyoya!" whined the twins in unison.

"Fine... " announced Kyoya with some reluctance.

Sayuri smirked and quickly gathered her things.

"I'll be going then. Mata Ashita!" she said, smiling as she skipped out the door.

"Wait for us!" yelled the twins as the pranced after her, looping their arms through hers and skipping as a trio 'Wizard of Oz' style.

"If this all goes wrong it's your fault," murmured Kyoya darkly as he passed Tamaki.

"It won't go wrong... I can feel it," replied Tamaki with a small smile. There was something about Sayuri that intrigued him. He didn't particularly like her, she was stuck up and pushy, but still. As this thought popped into his mind, he thought of Haruhi and when he looked at her, he saw that she clearly didn't like the new addition to the club.

"Is that a hint of jealousy I see on my daughter's sweet face?" he teased.

"No. I just don't like her," she replied curtly which caused Tamaki to sulk again.

"Prince Charming? Drama Queen is more like it," she murmured as she left the room after Hunny, Kyoya and Mori, leaving their King to sulk in the now empty music room.

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Sayuri has now successfully entered the Host Club but how will the customers react to this pushy girl's sudden appearance?

Find out next time in Doki Doki!

.::Remember: Reviews are loved, flaming is despised and constructive criticism is always welcome!


	3. Tea, Cakes and a Manager, Oh My!

**Doki Doki**

_.::You make my heart beat, but I don't want to hear it. Why do I look at you and feel this way, and yet can't help but stay away?::._

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|| Chapter 3 || **Tea, Cakes and a Manager, Oh My!**

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"Welcome!"

The boys of the host club beamed at the incoming girls as red rose petals showered around them. It was a mystery to most where they came from but most did not dwell on the petals. They were far more enthralled by the beauty of the seven males arranged in front of them and today they were dressed in Gothic styled Lolita and the girls simply swooned at the sight, especially when they laid eyes on the lovely Haruhi in all 'his' feminine glory.

"Haru-chan! You're so pretty!" cooed Haruhi's usual customers as they clustered around her at a table. Clearly she was not amused as she fidgeted in her long curly wig and toyed with the black lace and tights.

"Really? You think so?" she asked, obviously embarrassed as she stared at her knees, her hands clasped tightly in her lap, "I wasn't... I wasn't sure that it suited me." To be honest, she wasn't entirely sure how to act in front of the girls like this. Normally she wouldn't have cared, much, but today she was a girl pretending to be a boy dressed as girl. She was incredibly confused.

The girls squealed, as was expected and fussed over the dolled up figure even more.

Tamaki, who was dressed in gray silk shirt, dark pants and black pinstripe vest and with a top hat poised on his head, beamed at his little rookie from across the room and it was obvious he couldn't take his eyes off her. The girls noticed his distraction as he entertained them and immediately the fan-girl parts of their minds began to work overtime at the cause of his distraction.

"Oh, is Tamaki-senpai interested in Haru-chan in _that_ way?" whispered two girls from behind their teacups. They looked at each other in wide-eyed amazement and then giggled and put their heads together to watch the two more intently. It seemed Tamaki wasn't aware of their comments as he returned his attention to his guests.

"Are you enjoying the decor?" he asked smoothly, draping his arms over the shoulders of the two girls flanking him. Apparently the action caused them both to start hyperventilating.

The other members, all dressed in similar finery to their Tono lounged on dark purple velvet couches and served their guests from dark tea sets. The mood of the room was both elegant, refined and yet, very edgy and the girls seemed to adore it.

"Of course we are! Oh senpai you look ever so lovely in your costume."

"But not as lovely as you do. You are like a shining star in my dark world," crooned the tall blonde as he cupped the girl's chin in a gloved hand, bringing her face close to his.

"Oh Senpai..."

Hunny giggled from his table as he took another bite of his piece of chocolate cake. His and Mori's customers beamed at the little boy in his dark shorts and frilly blouse as he snuggled in close to his imposing cousin who looked even wilder in his dark costume.

"Oh, where did you get all this from?" asked one of the younger girls in awe as she motioned to the room and the costumes, "It's gorgeous!"

Hunny grinned as he contemplated taking another bite of his cake. "It's a secret!" The girls squealed and he took the bite.

It was clear that today was a great success and Kyoya Ootori smiled from the shadows, his clipboard perched delicately on his bended knee as he reclined against a large black and rather plush throne. In his elegant clothing, somehow the image suited him perfectly. He removed his glasses and dusted them as he surveyed the crowd, feeling very pleased with the event. He was impressed that their new designer had managed to pull it all together in such short notice, not two days after she had first made her appearance. He assumed it was her Hitachiin connections that made it so easy. It provided a whole new outlet to market the host club and already new ideas were running through his mind.

"It seems you do a good job Miss Hitachiin. I'll admit I was surprised when I saw the room and had my doubts but it seems this has made a good impact. It seems Haruhi is attracting more and more customers and cross-dressing appears to be incredibly popular amongst them. Perhaps we should do it more often with her... If you like you can join your cousins. Your presence will be noticed sooner or later... You may as well get it over and done with. Try and work your existence in with the twins. The other girls will be less likely to rebel if they realise you're a close relation and not a love rival. At least, in the area of the twins..." said the Shadow King as he set down the quill he had been assigned as part of his costume. He had rejected the large leather bound notebook that Sayuri had tried to give him before but had resigned to the use of a black feather quill. He was still apprehensive about Sayuri's involvement in Host activities. The day before the club members had argued about how involved she would be. It was one thing to work behind the scenes and another entirely to work with the boys. Before today the club had been exclusively all male, even if they had a secret female member and a female manager. Renge rarely made an appearance during normal activities and when she did, she didn't stick around. This was a new frontier and it had been decided that she could interact once in a while with the twins or if it suited the theme, another member, but it would only be on days they dressed up. On normal days she had to be content to sit back and let the hosts do their thing. Grudgingly she had agreed.

The girl stepped forward from beside him, her eyes shining with excited anticipation. She too wore a maid's uniform. Instead of black, hers was white, an exact contrast to Haruhi's. She bore a tray of small cakes in her lace gloved hands, each dessert decorated lavishly to suit the theme, and an eager smile spread across her lips. Tucked under her arm in a white wicker basket were two bears, one black and the other white.

"I'd love to," she said as she made her way to her twin cousins. She heard girls around her whispering and gasping at her arrival and she couldn't help the smug feeling that welled inside her. Daintily she laid the tray on the table in front of the twins and perched between them once they parted as an invitation for her to sit. The boys linked their arms through hers and they grinned at each other.

The girls looked at her in bewilderment. "Hello?" they chorused, unsure of what to say, but at the same time enthralled by this new arrival.

"Hi! I'm Hitachiin Sayuri! How is everyone today? Are you enjoying your tea?" she said brightly with a giggle and relief swept over the girls as they smiled at her and spoke of their approval of the setting and interest in the costumes.

"I'm sorry if it's rude but, who are you... Sayuri correct?" asked one girl who clearly wasn't particularly happy with her closeness with the twins. She sat back against the deep purple velvet and stirred her tea slowly as she gave Sayuri a narrow glare. The bronze haired girl pouted at the expression and it took all her self-control not to stick her tongue out at the older, rather snooty young woman.

"She's our cousin!" chimed the twins with grins and were rewarded with looks of utter astonishment. From across the room, Sayuri could see Tamaki watching intently and she blushed a little. Knowing that the betraying tinge in her cheeks was likely very noticeable, she tried to work it into the act by looking down sheepishly with a small, shy smile.

"But sometimes..." continued Kaoru.

"We feel a bit guilty..." followed Hikaru.

"Because Sayu-chan is precious to us but..."

"We've only just been able to let her in our life again... After she..."

"She... left us, all alone in the cold, cold world," they finished in unison as they hugged her tightly. She tried her best not to roll her eyes. In truth it had really been them who had left her out of their small world but she had never said anything. They trusted each other no matter what had happened in the past.

"I'm so sorry. I thought you had forgiven me. Oh please... don't say you won't forgive me. I couldn't live with myself if that happened," murmured the girl forlornly, pretending she was about to cry.

The girls looked on with baited breath, as the boys grasped Sayuri's hands and forced her to look at them, though she fiercely tried to refuse. She expertly let a tear roll down her cheek, pleased that acting classes hadn't been completely wasted on her.

"Only if you never, ever, leave us like that again," whispered Hikaru determinedly.

"We don't want to lose you... You were our only friend when we were little," Kaoru leaned in close and rested his head on her shoulder, reaching up to brush away the tear.

"I promise," whispered the girl and they hugged, causing their audience to squeal.

_God, there's a lot of screeching from this lot isn't there..._thought the girl with slight annoyance as she wiped away another imaginary tear and settled back against the plush cushions as the twins regaled the guests with stories of their adventures with Sayuri, some of which had never happened. The girl didn't mind though. They had thought up her introduction while they were getting ready.

"So... You are a Hitachiin?" asked a girl about a year older than herself.

"Yes," answered the girl brightly, each hand clasped by the twins and the girl gasped with delight. She was about to say something else when she was interrupted by another voice.

"Somehow, I find that hard to believe. I've seen a lot of the twins and they never spoke of you before and never, not once, before the Club that is, have I seen them interacting with others. At big school functions I've only ever seen their parents," it was the snooty girl again and Sayuri was trying very, very hard not to slap her then and there, "If you are so close, how come this is the first I've seen or heard of you?"

"That's because I've been in Paris for the last two years Miss..."

"Takama Yori."

"Miss _Takama_," Sayuri said the name almost as if it were bitter as she looked at the other girl, "I'm afraid, no matter how much you may dislike it, I cannot deny my genetics, even if I wanted to. Perhaps they never spoke of me because they are permitted to their own private life. Do you think that because you attend these parties and talk pretty with them that they are yours to own?" Sayuri was definitely struggling to keep her anger in check and she let go of Hikaru's hand to clench her fist tightly into a ball, digging her nails into the flesh of her hand to stop herself from acting on the rising heat in her blood. She was known for quite a few things and her quick temper was one of them.

The girl sneered at her at the comment and the twins looked at each other worriedly.

"Ah, Yu-chan, would you like to go talk to Haru-chan? Didn't you say you had a gift for he- uh- him?" suggested Kaoru amiably and grudgingly she stood up, dusting the skirts of her dress.

"I hope you enjoy your tea," she said with as much grace as she could muster before making her way to Haruhi's table. As she passed the other girls she heard the Yori whisper something and caught the words, 'Liar', 'Stupid' and possibly some rather rich language that she hoped wasn't really what the girl said.

She curtsied slightly to Haruhi's customers and gave the other girl a friendly smile before being offered a seat next to her. By now it seemed Sayuri's relationship with the twins had been passed around the room and she was quickly showered with questions about it. She answered as nicely as she could, grateful that it seemed there would be no repercussions from the other girl, and glanced over at Haruhi with a smile. She really did want to be friends with her and she linked arms with her as she spoke. Trying her best, Haruhi smiled kindly at Sayuri, though inside, she was still a little annoyed that the girl had been the cause of her wearing a maid's outfit today. The girls watched intently, inventing all sorts of scenarios and back stories about the relationship but really Sayuri just needed someone to keep her grounded and focused at that point. These girls were hard to deal with. Haruhi wasn't too sure about the new member just yet. Her mood and demeanour seemed to skip all over the place and she was too unpredictable, even by the Host Club standards. In the end, Haruhi decided to just take the girl as she went. She'd get used to her like she had every other member and maybe one day she'd find herself friends with the other girl, like she had with the rest of the Club.

"Fujioka-san," began the girl before Haruhi cut her off by laying a hand lightly on hers.

"You don't have to call me that," she said quickly.

"Oh, OK! Haru-chan, I-I have a gift for you. It's a thank you for looking after my cousins so well," she turned her body slightly to face her and reached into her basket, handing Haruhi the white bear and leant forward to place a light kiss on the girl's cheek. The girl responded with a ready blush. In reality she was a little shocked with the newcomer's forwardness but already knew of the bear, again, this had all been planned, mainly by Sayuri and the twins. Haruhi went along with it to prevent the headache that surely would come if she had refused. The girls again seemed to look on with amazement at the new development in Haruhi's life.

"Th-thank you Sai... Yu-chan. I'll treasure it," she said gratefully, adding the right amount of shyness to her words.

As predicted the girls squealed and Haruhi turned away as she rolled her eyes. Sayuri beamed before she yelped in surprise as Tamaki appeared, stroking his chin and studying both her and Haruhi, more so Haruhi, and, Sayuri noted with a smile, a small blush crept into the girl's cheeks. As the blonde focused his gaze on Sayuri, a deeper, more noticeable blush crept into her own cheeks and it didn't go unnoticed by other customers. More whispers and theories erupted quietly amongst them as they watched.

"Interesting... Daddy approves," he whispered and Sayuri looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What?"

"He means he likes the fact that I have a female friend," whispered Haruhi, unable to keep the annoyed tone out of her voice.

"Oh... I see."

He stayed for a moment, inspecting them both, chatting with their customers and grinning stupidly, enough to earn a slight kick from Sayuri when he got too close.

"Baka..." she muttered as he whined to Haruhi about it, "Go back to your guests. They look lonely."

He shot her a curious look before returning to the waiting girls who had all clustered as close as they dared to see what was going on.

"Did you miss me?" he said, immediately back in his 'prince' role. Sayuri sighed as she settled back into the couch, content to just listen for the moment.

The rest of the time seemed to pass by relatively peacefully and by the end of it, it seemed her and Haruhi were getting on quite well. Maybe being friends with the girl wouldn't be so hard after all.

"Goodbye Sayuri-san," called a girl from her year as the crowd began to make their way slowly out the room. Sayuri waved and smiled pleasantly but all she wanted was to sink back into the couches and fall asleep. She had never thought being part of Host activities would be so... tiring. She moved behind the twins so she could relax a bit more. Being watched like that was very stressful.

"Excuse me, Miss Hitachiin?" sounded a snide voice from behind her and immediately she spun around to face the rude girl from before.

"What is it?" she asked sharply, no longer in the mood to put up with anymore fan-girl antics.

"Just a little parting gift to remember me by," she said darkly before grabbing a full pot of tea and throwing it in the girl's face. A scream of pain escaped Sayuri's lips as she felt the burning on her skin from the hot liquid.

Desperately she wiped away at the tea and looked at the stains on her dress in dismay. She had worked so hard on the costume and that... that... well there were a thousand names Sayuri wanted to call Yori Takama right then but she knew it wouldn't look good for her. Seething she clenched her fists at her side, trying her best not explode then and there.

"Yori-senpai. What exactly do you think you're doing?" demanded Tamaki as he took Sayuri by the shoulders, rubbing them soothingly to calm her down and she was surprised at how well the sensation worked. Usually she couldn't calm down for a good half an hour at best.

"I'm teaching this _cretin_ not to cheat her way into things. She has no right to be here and I won't stand for it!" screeched the other girl. Sayuri thought she looked rather unhinged as she wrung her hands and shouted in the middle of the room.

"That's enough. This is a club of happiness and enjoyment. We don't want guests who threaten and harm our members. Sayuri-chan has far, far more right to be here than you right now. Now please, leave. It would also be best if you didn't show your face here again too," ordered the Prince and a slight, uncontrollable shiver went up Sayuri's spine at the thought of him defending her like this. She quickly pushed the thought from her mind however. It was a silly thing to think, he'd do the same for any other girl if they were in this situation.

"Oh, so because of her blood she can be a member? That hardly seems fair."

"Maybe so but your actions are not tolerated at the Host Club. Leave. Now."

"Fine," she retorted, clearly unhappy and marched to the door. By now the other customers had all been ushered out by the other members and the tea had cooled on Sayuri's skin. Tamaki was still clutching her shoulders protectively and she wondered if he was aware of it. As if he read her mind he hastily took his hands away. Yori stopped as she opened the door and turned to sneer at Sayuri again.

"You know, I'm not the only one. This is not the last you'll hear of this. It's not fair, and you all know it."

And with that, she was gone. Sayuri shuddered and growled in anger. "That- ugh! How do you put up with this rubbish?" she asked incredulously as she motioned to the door. "Girls like that disgust me," her voice was now dangerously quiet as she tried to wring the tea from her clothes.

"We did warn you," stated Kyoya simply as he rejoined the main group. After helping to usher out the guests he had sat back to watch. "I had a feeling something like this was going to happen, but I don't think it's entirely your fault. Yori's been with us since we started and she's always been a bit jealous over the twins. It was only inevitable that she'd overreact like this one day and it could have been any girl who got too close for her liking. She's been to a psychiatrist several times because her parents found her controlling, possessive personality a bit too much. But she was right about one thing. I doubt she'll be the only one. Are you sure you want to stay on?" he asked nonchalantly as he tapped away quickly on his laptop, making Sayuri wonder for about the tenth time that week how he managed to get his hands on such personal information so easily. "Are you sure you want to keep her on?' he asked the rest of the hosts.

"Of course _I_ want to stay on. I'm not going to let some prissy princess stomp me out. I'm certainly no one's love rival."

"Really? You have absolutely no interest in _any_ of us?" asked Tamaki curiously as he leant back against a column, his arms folded against his chest.

Sayuri grinned mischievously as she spun over to Haruhi and lifted her chin with a single, pale finger. "I have to say, Haruhi is a rather fine specimen," she draped her arms over Haruhi's shoulders and looked at Tamaki coyly, "I guess I could have a thing for her," she grinned again and winked. She knew she wouldn't be able to answer his question seriously because it would be a direct lie and she was terrible at lying to people's faces, but she could lie in a joke; that was easy.

The boys and Haruhi looked at her with wide eyes, Haruhi more in discomfort.

"I-Is _that_ why you want to be part of the club? Because you... like..." Tamaki trailed off in disbelief. Clearly he hadn't expected it. He looked to the twins for conformation. Even Kyoya looked a little surprised.

"We had _no_ idea," murmured the twins in unison and Sayuri felt a little disappointed that they, of all people, hadn't seen through it.

Sayuri rolled her eyes and released her lock around Haruhi and was about to put her arm over the girl's shoulders when she was put off balance by a sudden rumbling in the ground. A high pitched, rather haughty laugh echoed through the tiled room and a large stage rose from the slowly opening gap in the floor.

"What on earth?" whispered Sayuri as she stared at the shadowy figure on the stage. Whoever it was, was seated, drinking tea and appeared to be wearing a rather elaborate costume similar to hers and Haruhi's. To be honest, Sayuri was a little jealous of it. "Uh..."

"Who are you maid? And why do you have your hands on my Haruhi, who I might add looks absolutely ravishing in that dress. The confused love that his fans must feel for him, so conflicted and yet, so pure. It brings joy to my heart. And to think, other boys might be attracted to him. It is like a manga in the making," spouted the girl as she descended from the stage, daintily balancing on her huge heeled shoes.

Sayuri now recognised the costume from a popular anime character and sighed when she heard what she was saying, "An otaku... What next? I'm Hitachiin Sayuri and I was only joking. I don't swing that-" she cut her words short when she was fixed with death stares from most of the club members. Even Mori was looking at her intensely. Right then, so this girl wasn't allowed to know of Haruhi's true identity.

"Uh... we're just friends. I... um... never mind."

"Wait. So you are the arranger of all this?" asked the girl and Sayuri was hoping she wasn't going to get another pot of tea thrown at her. None of the other members seemed to be saying much.

"Yeah... I'm the new designer."

"So _you _put Haruhi in this dress?"

"Yes?"

Sayuri flinched as the girl wrapped her in a tight hug and squealed. "Perfect! A girl after my own heart! You and I will work closely to make this club the way it should be!"

"OK...?"

"Right then! I must get back and plan my next move. Tell me, can you draw?"

"Yeah, I'm ok I guess,'

"Interesting... very interesting," she murmured as she stepped lightly back to her stage and sat down. She pulled a lever and the floor started shaking again. Soon she was gone, leaving no trace that she had ever been there.

"That's it. I was wrong, I thought I could handle this place but I was wrong," said Sayuri as she stared blankly at the spot on the floor where Renge had disappeared.

"Yu-chan, you're not leaving are you?" asked Hunny as he tugged on her skirt gently, looking up at her with slight disappointment but seemed more preoccupied with the lollipop he had grasped tightly in his hand.

"Yeah, I thought you said no prissy princess would stomp you out," said Kaoru with a grin.

"Yes, but I... I just... Oh forget it. I'm going to clean myself off," muttered Sayuri as she untied her apron and made her way to the closest changing rooms. The tea was starting to get sticky and she needed to clear her head. A warm shower would help and of course, being Ouran, they had plenty of expansive bathrooms.

Her first day in the Host Club had certainly been interesting. As she washed herself off she wondered how her next would go.

* * *

Author's Nonsensical Babbling: Hey! Sorry for the incredibly long wait. School assessment, what can I say? Here's the next chapter! Just a filler really... I had a lot of trouble with it to be honest.

Reviews, comments, hints and constructive criticism greatly loved.

Flamers will face the wrath of my Charizard~ 3


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